Getting to know MANA

SOFT THINGS = SUCK THUMB
When Kamanamau touches something soft it triggers his thumb to go straight in his mouth. Weird. I know. I didn't think it would be something i would blog about but when I saw this it was just too cute...well i mean what isn't when it comes to your own child?? So while I was on the computer I let him play around in the room. He was making his way over to me and that's when he found a piece of a blanket that wasn't fully tucked into the 'blanket tub'. He stopped, looked at it, touched it (it must have been soft), then bent down and started sucking his thumb while holding on that tiny part of the soft blanket. I thought it was so funny, and cute of course. So here are the pictures to make you smile. In my old post there's that pic of him sucking his thumb while touching his soft panda pillow. I made the connection of his thumb sucking to soft things while doing laundry. It was my "ah ha moment". I came in with my basket of clean rugs and clothes. I threw the rugs on the floor and poured the clothes on the couch. I went to the room/kitchen (i really don't know, i just remember the important stuff) and came back to the living room to find Kamanamau full on cuddling with the rug and sucking his thumb. My first thought was gross! only cos it was the bathroom rug, i mean it was clean but it's the bathroom one! So that's when i finally made the connection.

RED LIGHT

When Mana sees a red light he will usually make this face. He squints his eyes, opens his mouth wide, and lets out a little "uuhhh". You try it LOL. I put 2 and 2 together when connecting the dots. He did the face when I took pictures of him because sometimes a red light would come on before the camera flashed; I still didn't connect it then. When we pull up to a red traffic light we sometimes say 'red light' and one day I turned to look at him and he was doing the face (without the sound) and Joe & I were just cracking up. Then later that day I had the "ah ha moment". I was so proud to tell Joe that I figured it out. He just looked at me and was like "okay". What a party pooper.

As you can see Mana is crying.

I distract him with the camera. Here's the red light face.

He forgot all about why he was crying in the first place. I'm good! LOL

He also has a thing for throwing everything. He likes to watch it drop. Actually, i don't know yet. He just likes to throw everything. He will pull all the clothes out from the basket and make sure that it is outside, and not inside the basket. When it's clean clothes I let him go at it, but dirty clothes I have to stop him because I feel sorry for what he has to smell hahaha, eventhough it really looks like he doesn't care.

That's a lil bit of Mana for you :)

adieu 2008

Hello everyone. We just got back from our trip to Europe. It was so much fun. The people were extremely nice. We spent a lot of money but it was well worth it.





Ha ha. ya right. I wish! well one of these days I hope i'll being saying that for real :) I don't know why i said europe it was just out there, and i hope i wont have to spent too much money.

The latest :

• Kamanamau is starting to walk
  


• Congrats to Sam and Brooke Spurrier. They got married on Dec. 17th

• Congrats to Caryn. She was endowed last week Tuesday. whoa that was LAST YEAR :P She had that glow. Maybe because Vaughn was there ?? k that was just a tiny part :). Joe was at work. I went by myself. My other 2 (married) friends went to the temple session without their husbands. We were all husband-less. haha. A somewhat unplanned ladies night out.
  
  
• Oahu temple closed last Saturday. It'll be closed for a year or so ?

• Christmas - We spent only half the day with Joe because he had to work. boooooo!!!!!!!! My family came over for a few days. We ate like it was Thanksgiving day. Kamanamau has so much toys but I think he'd rather play with water bottles.

• New year's eve - Stayed indoors all day. Mana was so sick. He got sick between Christmas and now. He is a trooper. He's really his father's son because I'm such a cry baby when i get sick lol.
  

I know there's plenty stuff I left out, but i just can't write everything.

Little Big Boys

KAMANAMAU - little joe and MALOSI - little john

They're 8 months in these pictures. They're a week apart. This is back in October getting ready to go to food fest. Sorry Lauren I know I said these would be up in no time but I kept forgetting.

Atleast these were put up BEFORE they turned 1 years old :)

It seemed like their goal was to not look at me at the same time. They're sly, but I've got tricks up my sleeve haha.

Congratulations Brooke

This is a shout out to Brooke!! :) Congratulations woman. She was endowed yesterday and I got to go to it. Joe had to work so I went by myself. Mom and Fia came to watch Kamanamau. I almost didn't make it. Almost. Ok so here is what happened before I took a single step into the temple doors.

• I know Joe was the last one with the temple recommend; I couldn't find it. Text Joe (he's @ work) to see if he knows where it is. He tells me he has it in his wallet and if I can come asap because he is leaving to go to town soon. I wait til Mana wakes up then go to get the recommend and say hi to my hubby :)

• Mom and Fia arrive at 3pm (Brooke's thing is @ 4). Good timing. I want to be at the temple by 3:30 so I can get everything situated and not feel rushed. I am ready by 3:30 and am out the door.

• Drive to the temple. It was drizzling! I didn't want to get wet if I walked the 3 minute walk ok.
  

• Ok now here is when everything falls apart - When I pull up to the temple I put on my sandals. One side is broken! my favorite sandal. So sad. I get back in the car to run and get good ones. Fia meets me in the parking lot with 'working sandals', meaning they're not broken :). So I drive back.
  

• I am now back on temple ground. It's 3:35. I have working sandals and walking towards the temple door. While walking I'm checking my bag for the things that I need. Change and recommend. I have change. I have recommend. NO!! I don't have recommend. What?! I know i saw it in the bag. Where is it?? I walk back to the car. People look at me. I'm somewhat embarrassed. I have a recommend. I promise I do.
  

• I'm back in the car searching for the recommend. It's 3:38. Searching. Looking. Getting very frustrated because I KNOW i had it in the purse. It's now 3:42. I'm panicking. Time is ticking!! Every minute counts.

• I get a text from Joe so I text back that I can't find my recommend. He's a bit annoyed because when I picked it up from him, he told me not to lose it because it's small and can get lost easily. He asks me where is it. I'm thinking 'are you kidding me?! I said I LOST it. If I knew where it was then It wouldn't be lost. (I'm screaming in my head)'.

• I see a card in between the seat and the middle compartment thing. My hand is too big to get it out. My fingers can't reach it. I fold a paper to slide down and capture it then pull it out. It's out!! but not the recommend. My heart is now pounding. I want to pull my hair out. I want to sit down and cry. Yes cry like a cry baby. It's 3:48. I wasted all that time trying to get the card but it wasn't the recommend. I'm thinking I should give up. You win satan; this time I won't get to go in.

• I look around one last time. I surprisingly find it. For real? Yes I did. I still want to cry. I'm not sure if I'll make it on time with 9 minutes remaining. The recommend was in back of the passenger seat on the floor. My theory is that it was in the purse like how I said I knew it was in there. Then it fell out because I flung my purse around trying to get everything (myself, my sandals, and the purse) in the car as fast as I could.

• I speed walk to the entrance. Sorry I don't run. My legs don't let me; I wish I could though. And TADA! I step in the doors of the temple. I'm in. Yay! So now I'm in and have a couple minutes to spare. So much for not feeling rushed. I am welcomed by familiar faces and I get to do work for Brooke's friend's relative. The person I did work for was baptized on my birthday :)

It was awesome. I kept thinking back to when I first went in the temple and got emotional at times. Everything that led up to being there with Brooke was all worth it. So Satan, no you did not win. I almost gave up. Almost. I am sooo blessed to be sealed to my Joe. The gospel is everything. I await the day when my mom and sisters are sealed in the temple. The day will come. They are more than worth it!

And then this is what I came home to..........

rude awakening

'Rude awakening' sounds more harsh than it actually was. Well this morning I woke up to a mad woman yelling my name outside of the door. It was Rose. Her house was flooded and came to ask for towels. Poor girl. I gave her a bunch of towels and sent Joe off to help her. <--- I sound like a mother saying "i sent him off" lol. Just to let you know he went voluntarily :) I knew it drizzled last night but this morning it just started pouring like crazy. Throughout the pounding sound of the rain, we were snoozing off in our beds haha. I was half asleep and half awake thinking 'please Kamanamau, don't wake up yet'. We had a long night. I'm pretty sure Mana is teething again, so he endured the pain til he doze off at around 11 o' clock. I was tired and my house was a disaster. I think Rose woke Joe and I up at 9am. Kamanamau was still asleep. I walked around to do my little inspection of how things were...yup, it was bad. This is one of the times I'm thankful to be on the 2nd floor. Yes, I have to walk up and down those flight of stairs daily. Yes, I have to carry the stroller up and down with Mana in my other arm, but no, no I don't have to wake up being surrounded in a puddle of water (oh except when the darn a.c. overflows) or worry about my house being flooded. Well with this wet morning I was glad to see many people come together to help each other out.

Main road in front of our apartment. I didn't want to stand in it cos it was contaminated with sewer water. Gross. But I walked around bare foot. smart.

Guys lending a helping hand :) ONe of the many trucks going around with sandbags to the houses.

This is Rose's lovely home :) Trust me you do not want to go in. The water went all the way to her bedroom and bathroom. This pic was taken when the rain slowed down a bit.

IN front of Rose's apartment. This is what she walks out to see. How lovely.

This is what Mana is doing while everything takes place :)

today's a special day

• It is in fact a special day for my hunk-of-love JOE!! He had a spectacular time going to class :( I know, how fun to spend his 'special day'. We barely even saw him AND he had to work. He is MY GUY. I love this man!!!

• I hear many many many wedding bells. Oh yes, it is wedding season! lol

• We got to go to the temple on Saturday. It has been about a year or some. I'm embarrassed to say it. I even thought that I wasn't worthy to go back because I never went for such a long time. Satan worked even harder to not have us go when the time came down to it. Joe was coughing like crazy and I felt nauseated & nervous.

• I'm officially done with the semester :) Last exam and final paper was turned in today.

• Kamanamau has an uncle that's younger than him. He was born last month. My dad has 4 kids. Akata, Me, Teanekuma, and the baby. Teanekuma is 2 years older than Mana.

• Kamanamau tricked his grandpa into giving him TWO bottles. Crazy kid. I guess I forgot to tell Grandpa 'G' or Grandpa Garth that Mana can only take one 8 ounce bottle because if he eats more he'll throw up. And throw up he did. He eats all he can eat. lol

Good night keiki - Rayden Kaka

We are still here. Lots of stuff have been happening lately, and I just said to myself that I'd blog tomorrow for the past how many days. I don't know where to start or what to say..here are a few words and thoughts for you.

Rayden Kotahi Pilimai Kaka. October 21, 2005 - November 21, 2008. I truly love this name. Now when I think Rayden, I think Rayden Kotahi Pilimai Kaka. I know his parents miss him dearly. I admire their strength. I recently came across a poem. It reminded me that although his mommy & daddy would love to spend Christmas (including any other given day or holiday) with their little Rayden, he gets to spend his Christmas with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Mana is almost walking on his own. He gets scared as soon as he realizes he's not holding on to anything.

Joe's birthday is next week. What should I do for him? do his laundry?? im kidding!

Finals are next week. I'm hoping my last teacher will let us take the exam early because I'm ready for it to be over.

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He wants to start walking so bad. If you look closely you can see that his sitter put his diaper on backwards, no it was not joe :)

Kahuku recruits early. The little red raider himself.

Playing with his life size stuffed animal.